


Lecture on Misunderstandings

by spacetimeinspector



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Generally Canon Compliant, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Misunderstandings, heavy use of the term endgame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:29:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26297914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacetimeinspector/pseuds/spacetimeinspector
Summary: Troy reunites with Abed and Annie in their apartment in LA after sailing around the world. Everything is perfect, until he finds something that convinces him that Abed and Annie are dating. Which is fine.Except, Troy is in love with Abed, and this new development really puts a wrench in his plans.
Relationships: Annie Edison & Abed Nadir, Troy Barnes & Annie Edison & Abed Nadir, Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir
Comments: 12
Kudos: 133





	Lecture on Misunderstandings

**Author's Note:**

> I’m really proud of this one!! sorry that the reunion isn’t fleshed out, I didn’t want it to be the main focus of the story and I didn’t think I could do it justice. I got writers block 5k into this and finally had the motivation to finish it yesterday, so I’m happy.
> 
> enjoy !!!

Troy was finally home. Not home as in Greendale, but home as in Abed’s arms. Arms that were now wrapped around Troy in a tight embrace, the type of embrace that he’d never gotten from Abed before. A lot of things can change in three years, though. He’d just entered LA after docking his boat for the last time. He had to spend a few hours going through paperwork with Pierce’s lawyers, but now he was finally free and able to visit his friends, his family. 

He texted Abed when he was able to leave and he immediately came to pick him up from the offices that Pierce’s lawyers had brought him to. It was as if no time had passed between them at all. Of course they had spoken on the phone and Skyped from time to time during Troy’s trip, but not as often as either of them hoped, and it didn’t completely settle the fear of things being different once they were finally together again for good. Abed had told him that Annie was at work - she’d been living at his apartment for some months while she completed a placement job in LA. It was incredible, really, that Troy was coming back to what he left - an apartment with his two best friends - but just an upgraded, more adult version. 

So there he was, in Abed’s arms the second they entered the door to his apartment. Troy couldn’t help the feeling of elation rising in him, he’d been itching to have that physical contact with Abed again since the second he stepped off the boat. Really, since the second he stepped  _ on  _ the boat, too. 

After about two minutes of comfortable silence in their embrace, Abed pulled back and smiled at Troy, who of course returned it in a much brighter, more toothy way. To Troy, it kind of felt like he needed to stare at Abed for a few hours, like he had to make up for all the time he couldn’t see him, save for a pixelated image on his phone. Abed’s hair was longer, curling in on itself so beautifully - Troy wondered why he hadn’t grown it out sooner. He looked more tired and worn, his long hours on set probably not giving much leeway for sleep and self care. Troy knew he’d changed, too, his hair was longer than it was even in their second year, and he had stubble that was about a week from being called a beard. He knew he looked tired, too, but he reminded himself that there were good reasons for it. 

After their moment of silently gazing at each other, Abed gave Troy a tour of the apartment. It was fairly sizable, an open lounge and kitchen with massive windows, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. Troy missed the sight and the atmosphere of apartment 303, but he had to keep reminding himself that a lot of things had changed after he left. He couldn’t expect everyone to just wait for him right where they were until he came back, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt to have to acknowledge it. 

Annie came home as quickly as possible, and she could barely let go of Troy after their first hug. It was nice. They’d caught each other up on everything that they had done in the past three years as if they hadn’t readily shared that information over the phone already. They wanted to celebrate like old times, a big bowl of buttered noodles (Annie had found a recipe for making it with real pasta and butter instead of microwaveable crap, it was amazing), and a big glass of special drink (no fancy recipe needed) for each of them. They took over an hour to figure out what to watch, but after Troy decided that he was too tired to take in all the new content that he’d missed over the years, they settled on watching their favourite Star Wars movie and a slew of his favourite Inspector Spacetime episodes. Even though they were in a fancier, more expensive place with fancier, more expensive pasta, it felt like they’d never left apartment 303. It was as if chez trobedison wasn’t a place, it was anywhere where the three of them were together. He was home. 

They would’ve stayed that way, eating and laughing and watching until the sun came up, but Troy’s fatigue set in and they decided to continue their adventures tomorrow. Annie kissed both of their cheeks and said goodnight, and Troy started to shuffle around in his bag for sleep clothes. As he pulled a new shirt on, he could feel Abed hovering awkwardly near his bedroom door. 

“Is this okay? Like, me sleeping on the couch?” Troy asked, assuming that was the issue. 

“Well… I just thought you’d sleep in my room. You’ve been sleeping in what I assumed to be a very uncomfortable bunk for three years, I didn’t expect you to want the couch.”

“Oh… I guess I just didn’t think you’d want anyone in your space.” 

Troy and Abed had shared a bed many times throughout their friendship, it was nothing out of the ordinary. Abed had many rules about sleeping and how to be comfortable while doing so, he never liked sharing a bed before he met his best friend. Troy seemed to break a lot of Abed’s rules in that way, but Abed never seemed to mind. Instead, he embraced it - and Troy, while asleep. 

“Since when did I mind you in my space?” Abed cocked his head and gave a small smile. 

Troy breathed a sigh of relief, he wasn’t sure what the changes between him and Abed would be through the years. He didn’t know if Abed had made new rules for things, and if Troy was an exception to those rules anymore. He’d understand if he wasn’t, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have to brace himself for it. He was relieved that this wasn’t one of the things that changed. 

Troy grinned at Abed and jumped up from the couch, “Thanks, man. I’ll meet you in there.” He made his way to the bathroom to finish getting ready for bed. 

When he entered Abed’s room he was already laying down on his back, stock still in his pajamas. Abed always went to sleep that way, his thoughts carrying him to unconsciousness easily. But once he was asleep, he’d splay out wildly, all limbs and grabbing anything he could reach. Troy found it endearing, and it made him feel better about being the type of person who shifted every 3 seconds until they fell asleep. If they were both annoying in bed, neither of them had to be the one to apologize in the morning. 

Troy peeled back the covers and laid down next to Abed. His bed was much bigger than the ones on their old bunk bed, and that made Troy a little sad. He laid on his back at first, taking in the sight of the walls around him, lined with DVDs and movie posters, like nothing had ever changed. 

“Are you sure you’re okay with me sleeping in here?”

“Of course, please don’t worry. Me and Annie have ended up sleeping in each other’s beds plenty of times since she moved here. Somehow, that part of my friendship with the two of you stayed the same after everything.”

Troy hummed in response, then turned away from Abed to get comfortable on his side. Troy didn’t even consider that Abed and Annie were that close, but it wasn’t as if he hadn’t walked into the lounge room of 303 at least fifty times over the years to find them curled up on the couch sleeping after a Cougar Town marathon. But they’d never slept in the same bed before, at least to Troy’s knowledge. While deep in his thoughts, he felt a shift in the bed and an arm came crashing into his side, a hand grabbing at his shirt. Troy jumped, not used to sleeping with someone again just yet. He turned slightly to look at Abed behind him, who was now sound asleep and breathing softly. Troy couldn’t help but smile, some things never change. 

—

Troy thanked god that he landed on a Friday, because now he had the whole weekend to spend with the two most important people in his life. Annie made pancakes for breakfast and they sat in the lounge watching cartoons all morning. It was nice to just do things like a kid, to just watch cartoons and eat sugary food and not have to worry about going to work or going to school or sailing a boat. He knew that it wouldn’t last forever, but that’s what made it sweeter. 

After lunch, the three of them set up a Skype call with the rest of the study group, including Chang and the Dean - although he wasn’t really “the Dean”, since none of them went to school anymore. Catching up was incredible, it was like old times but without so much mayhem, since it was hard to be chaotic through a computer screen. Troy ached to be near them, to have the whole group together again and having their adventures, but even the thought of traveling made him feel sick. It would be a long time until he could get in anything longer than a short car ride. 

They vowed to spend all of Sunday on skype together, all the plans anyone had suddenly gone out the window. Troy felt so loved, and so right. The study group was his family, and he had never been so grateful to have them than in the moment he stepped off the boat for the last time. 

Sunday passed in a montage of colourful chaos and emotional moments. 

—

It was Monday. Abed and Annie had to go to work, and Troy had to be home alone for the first time basically since when he lived with Pierce. Troy wanted to keep going with the nostalgia and the catching up and the familiarity of Greendale. He didn’t think he could cope a whole work day sitting in silence, not even the sound of waves to soothe him. Troy stopped being afraid of being vulnerable his first year at Greendale, so he had no trouble voicing his concerns to Abed and Annie before they had to leave for the day. 

Abed, knowing Troy so well, figured out a solution. He still had his laptop from when he went to Greendale - he had a new one now because it was better for editing, or something - and it housed all their previous documentaries and randomly filmed moments. It also had some new videos that Troy had never seen, from after he left. Abed fished out the laptop for Troy and handed it to him before hugging him goodbye. They’d never really hugged goodbye before the day that Troy left, and he guessed that Abed was going to find it hard to spend the whole work day without him as much as Troy would. They squeezed each other reassuringly before they parted, and then the door closed. Troy was alone. 

He started with the things he’d already seen, the familiarity of the good times they all used to have. There were so many little, incoherent clips with barely any context that just filled Troy with love. There were the community college chronicles that still, after all these years, wrinkled his brain just a little too much. He rewatched their Kickpuncher remake - they’d filmed a kiss scene for it, it was a close-lipped, three second TV kiss but it had made Troy’s heart soar. If he had to pick a point where he started falling for Abed, that scene would be his first choice. Troy’s face warmed and he giggled at the scene, he was so in love back then without even realising it. In that moment, he still had no idea how close they’d become. 

After scrolling through the old videos for a few hours, pointedly avoiding the one titled “ _ Civil War _ ”, Troy decided to take a look at the new videos, the ones that he wasn’t there to witness in person. He found an entire movie they made,  _ Chief Starr and the Raiders of the Galaxy,  _ and set himself up with popcorn and a drink, like he was watching a real movie at a cinema. He found the movie so incredible and exciting and compelling that he couldn’t wait to watch it again with Abed’s commentary and behind the scenes knowledge. There were far less random little clips in the later years, maybe a couple with Annie and one or two with Britta, and it made Troy sad to see. He was hoping his friends would still be having as much fun without him, but he was also scared of missing out. Seeing that they did seem to have less fun was bittersweet. 

There was one clip with Annie left that he hadn’t viewed yet, so he clicked on it and sat back into the couch cushions, hoping to see something fun and exciting, like old times. The clip started with Annie sitting at her dresser, brushing her hair and smiling sweetly at the camera through the mirror. 

“If you don’t put that silly thing away, I swear- I’m gonna stop loving you.”

The blood drained from Troy’s face. In the video, Annie was jumping up and giggling, ending up laying in her bed.

“Happy birthday.” She leaned in to kiss the camera. 

Suddenly, Britta interrupted with “What are you two doing?” and the scene cut off. It wasn’t natural like the others, where the frame would move as Abed turned off the camera. This one was halted completely, mid scene, like Abed had deliberately edited it down. 

Troy didn’t know how to feel about what he’d just seen. Why was Annie acting so in love? Why was it towards Abed? Why was she about to kiss him before Britta interrupted? 

_ Oh shit.  _

Annie and Abed were together. 

Troy quickly exited the video and closed the laptop, shoving it onto the coffee table like it would burn him. He curled up into himself on the couch and his mind started racing. Why would his best friends not tell him that they were dating? He racked his brain for what their relationship looked like before he left. He only ever saw Annie and Abed as strictly platonic, they were just good friends - besides, Annie was always into Jeff, right? Well, sure, they were always weirdly physically affectionate by Abed’s standards, they had their own inside jokes and handshakes that even Troy didn’t know, there was that one time where they kissed-

_ Oh god.  _

How had Troy been so ignorant of the relationship of the two people he was closest to in the world? While his mind raced, he suddenly hit a realisation. They must’ve only started dating after he left, and that’s why they never told him because they weren’t official while he was still there. He must’ve been holding them back. Why else would they not go through with their obvious desires to date? Him living there and his closeness to Abed, taking up so much of his time, must’ve made it hard for them to date. 

God, it was all so obvious now. That must’ve been why Abed and Rachel broke up - they were so perfect for each other, they both loved TV and movies and homages, she loved him and respected him as much as Troy and Annie did. When they broke up Abed had told him that they broke it off mutually, because they both understood that they weren’t each other’s endgame in life. Abed must’ve realised that Annie was his endgame. 

A feeling of dread started to overtake Troy. He loved his best friends and wanted them to be happy, of course, but… he was in love with Abed. But Abed loved Annie.

Troy had figured out that his feelings for Abed were a little more than platonic after he and Britta broke up, but he was so overwhelmed by the revelation that he tried to shut them down. When they graduated Greendale and it was just him, Abed, and Annie in the apartment for a whole year - a year without the obligation of school or the obligation to be around anyone else, including the rest of the study group - the reality of the situation started to settle in. Eventually they’d all have to grow up and grow apart and Troy wasn’t prepared to ever do that with Abed, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him. But when Jeff came back to the school and suddenly everyone decided to re-enroll, it allowed Troy to put his feelings on the back burner once again. They were all going to be together for a little while longer. 

Obviously, that didn’t go as planned. 

While Troy sailed around the world he came to terms with his feelings and how important they were, how they shouldn’t be shoved down and should instead be shared openly no matter the consequences. He didn’t have it in him to be scared of the future anymore, because he’d almost lost his when he was kidnapped by pirates. No matter what, he had to live his life as genuinely and freely as he could because that’s what everyone should be allowed to experience. He wasn’t going to waste his life hiding things anymore. 

But this new…  _ development _ really put a wrench in his plans. He needed more time to be open, he needed to gage the situation and why they were hiding it from him. If he was the thing that got in the way of their relationship in the first place, then confessing his feelings would be the most selfish thing he could do. 

So it was decided, he was going to keep quiet about his love for Abed for just a little while longer. 

—

When Abed and Annie finally came home, Troy didn’t poke or prod or interrogate at all. They’d tell him when they were ready, he had to accept that and wait. The three of them went out to a restaurant together, somewhere not too expensive but that didn’t have laminated menus. It was harder to be as weird as they were in a place that was fancy by their standards, but they made do. It was like no time had passed in those three years at all. Troy was content. 

That night, when he was getting ready for bed in Abed’s room, he realised something. 

“Hey, how come you and Annie don’t share a bedroom?”

Abed looked up from his phone from where he sat in the bed and cocked his head, “Why would we do that?”

Okay, he still had to act like he didn’t know about them, that’d be okay. “Well, if you guys share a bed…  _ sometimes…  _ then why not just go all out and share a bedroom?”

Abed’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, “You know that Annie likes to have her own space.” He said like it was the most obvious answer ever, “Besides, it’s nice to have full control over the wall decorations in here.” 

Well, Troy couldn’t really argue with that. Sharing a bedroom isn’t even a mark of a relationship, in fact, setting boundaries like that would be a mark of an even  _ healthier  _ relationship. Man, they were good.

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

Troy drew back the sheets on his side and laid down on the bed as Abed turned off the lamp on his bedside table. 

The next few weeks were a montage of Troy trying not to get in the way of Abed and Annie. When they’d go on walks - to the shops, around the city, along the beach - he kept finding himself grabbing for Abed’s hand, like muscle memory, and then reminding himself that he had to be more detached. Most times he’d just reach out and remember, but there were some times where he’d ended up with their fingers laced before even realising, and he had no idea how to pull back. During those times he’d examine Abed and Annie’s reactions closely, hoping he wasn’t overstepping some unspoken rule. Usually, Abed would smile at him and lace his fingers back, and Annie wouldn’t even give them a second glance. Troy decided that they must be really good at hiding their annoyance. 

There were other times when they’d all be squished onto the two seater couch together watching movies and Troy would get the urge to snuggle into Abed, to throw his arm around him or nuzzle his head into his chest and rest his legs over his lap. But every time he would scold himself internally. There were some nights where he’d looked over to Annie sitting on Abed’s other side to find her resting her head on his shoulder, their arms linked and their hands clasped together. Troy couldn’t take that from Abed, and he couldn’t pull him so that he was stretched both ways, trying to please the both of them. It hurt Troy to think that Annie would be the one who’d win the tug of war in the end. 

There were times where they’d eat dinner in front of the TV, one of them having to sit in the armchair for the sake of having arm movements. Troy never knew where to go during those times, if he sat on the couch then he’d be separating Abed and Annie from having that closeness - was eating on the couch together important in a relationship? Troy didn’t know, but he also didn’t want to accidentally ruin it if it was. Sometimes he’d find Annie or Abed already situated on the armchair and he could relax, at least he knew he wasn’t forcing them apart on those days. 

Abed and Annie had never at any point asked Troy to move, to stop being so touchy, to be more distant, but it didn’t matter. If they never told him before, then maybe they were still too scared to say it. That’s why he had to make the decisions himself, to be a good friend. 

After two weeks of his constant pulling back, his constant need to hide how he felt, he started to lose grip of his newfound philosophy of honesty and openness. If he couldn’t share his feelings for Abed, he could at least share something else. 

He had decided. He was going to come out to Abed. 

There was thankfully a day where they would be alone in the apartment, on a weekend when Annie had plans to meet with a work friend. It was the best opportunity he was going to get, and he couldn’t hold it in any longer. 

They were sitting on the couch watching reruns of some mindless sitcom after dinner when Troy decided that it was now or never. He shook his hands out to settle his nerves and looked at Abed, who was eyeing his movements. 

Troy smiled up at Abed. “Hey, can I uh… talk to you about something?”

Abed muted the TV and turned to Troy, neutral as ever, “Of course.”

Troy blew a long breath from his nose and struggled to keep eye contact, wringing his hands, “So uh, on the boat I realised some things. About myself. And I don’t want to hide them from you anymore, so…”

Abed nodded, his gaze intense and serious. 

A deep breath. Now or never. “I’m gay.”

Abed’s eyes widened and his lips parted slightly in surprise, Troy studied his face nervously, praying for a positive reaction. 

The silence broke, “Troy, I’m so proud of you.”

Troy drew in a sharp breath, “You are? You don’t think I’m weird?”

“Of course not, you’re still Troy. It’s nice to know what your trip added to your character development.”

Troy let out a breathy laugh as his nerves started to fizzle out. Abed leaned forward and gave Troy a small hug, patting his back and resting his head on Troy’s shoulder. Troy was shocked at the sudden contact, but didn’t delay in hugging him back. Abed initiating a hug wasn’t a very common occurrence, so he must’ve deemed this an important time for it. He knew that Troy was comforted by touch and he must’ve realised how big of a deal coming out was to Troy. 

They parted, Troy‘s eyes glassy with unshed tears. “I was so scared that you were gonna ask me a million questions about it, or like-“ Troy winced, “wouldn’t believe me, or something. Because I dated Britta and all that…”

Abed placed one of his hands on Troy’s shoulder as a reassurance, “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, I would never want to do that to you. I believe you because you’re telling me. That’s all the proof I need.” 

Never in a million years could Troy have dreamed of such a perfect response. He couldn’t even verbalize his thanks, so he pulled Abed into a second hug as his tears started falling. Abed hugged back, and they sat there in a comfortable silence (save for Troy’s sniffling) for a few minutes before pulling back again. 

“Are you sure you don’t think I’m weird? You won’t see me any differently?” Though Troy knew that Abed would never be bigoted towards him, he still needed verbal confirmation to feel at ease. 

“I won’t. If I did, I’d be a bit of a hypocrite.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m bisexual. So finding you weird for being attracted to men would be completely hypocritical.” 

Okay, so that was new information that Troy hadn’t even considered. Sure, Troy had always had a small hope inside of him that Abed could be into guys, that Abed could have the ability to like him back. But Troy never wanted to think about it too much, he didn’t want to get his hopes up, it was easier to just focus on himself and take what everyone else did as it came. Knowing that Abed wasn’t straight either made him feel less alone, like he was right where he needed to be with the person that understood him best in the world. 

“Are you for real?” Troy couldn’t help his lips crack into a wide smile, “I’m proud of you, too. I can’t believe neither of us were straight this whole time and we never realised.”

Abed flashed a small smile in response, and Troy knew that being open was the best decision in the world. 

He told Annie when she got home, too. She was so ecstatic for him, for knowing himself so well and being so sure. She thought it was beautiful. He was slightly worried she’d lean into the “gay best friend” trope, or that she’d want to find him a boyfriend right away and give him a bunch of random men’s numbers, but she didn’t. She completely respected him, and the whole day just cemented the feeling further into his being: he was home. 

It somehow felt easier to hang out with Abed and Annie after that day. Even though he was still constantly concerned about meddling in their relationship, he could breathe so much easier. He only had to hide one secret now, he felt less constricted and more relaxed. But being able to express that part of him didn’t fully ease the tension in his chest. The way it ached whenever he’d find Abed and Annie giggling while talking in hushed tones, whenever he’d find them laying on the couch together, almost dozing off the way they used to in apartment 303. They were so good together, they knew each other so well and could communicate so easily. Troy knew he should be happy for them. 

Except, he wasn’t. 

It wasn’t just the wishing it was him, it was doubled by the fact that they still. Hadn’t. Told him. There was no reason for them to hide their relationship, and certainly not for this long. Especially not after Troy poured his heart out to them and trusted them with his most intimate secret. He was tearing through the cracks of his happy facade and he knew it, he knew he was going to explode eventually if they didn’t tell him the truth. He deserved to know it. 

Then, a day came where the tears turned into one big gaping hole. It was as if every little look they shared was ripping him at the seams, he didn’t know what was making him so irritable on a day as normal as any other, but it was making it hard to concentrate on anything other than them. They were having another movie night, the three of them squished together on the couch with Annie in the middle. Annie was leaning her head into Abed, linking their arms and holding his hand like always. She practically had her back turned to Troy, or at least that’s how he viewed it. He felt so left out, so detached sitting next to her, like to them he wasn’t even there at all. 

He finally couldn’t handle it anymore and rushed to the bathroom, just for an excuse to go somewhere for a few minutes. Usually the three of them would try and take as little bathroom breaks as possible while a movie was playing, and they always chose a scene with a lull to pause on. But Troy hadn’t even bothered to check what scene was playing, let alone asked to pause before leaving. He knew it would be flagged as weird behaviour by Abed and Annie, and he slightly regretted his abrupt exit, because he’d probably have to explain himself when he came back. He tried to compose himself, hoping to let the facade go on a little longer, before stepping back out. 

When he stepped into the lounge, the movie was paused and Abed and Annie were looking at him worriedly. Troy cleared his throat and sat in the armchair as their eyes followed him. 

“Troy, are you okay?” Annie asked. 

“Of course I’m okay, why do you ask?”

Abed spoke up, “Well, you’ve been acting tense all day, and we’re worried about you. What happened?”

Troy let out a frustrated sigh and put his face in his hands. Well, this was his moment. He lifted his head back up and tried his best to remain neutral. “I just want you guys to tell me the truth.”

Abed and Annie shared a look, “The truth about what?”

“Stop hiding it from me!” Well, so much for neutral. “Why won’t you guys tell me that you’re dating?”

Abed looked alarmed, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open, and Annie seemed completely caught off guard before trying to reply calmly, “Troy, what on earth are you talking about?”

Troy let out a frustrated groan. “Come on, I’m not an idiot. I know you two are dating.”

Abed’s alarmed look turned more confused as Annie grew more frustrated. When she spoke again, she didn’t try to hide her voice with calmness and instead let it come out in her raised, exasperated voice. 

“Troy, I’m a lesbian!” 

“Wait, what?” That was the last thing Troy expected. 

“I’m a lesbian. I’m not dating Abed.” Her voice calmed down minutely. 

“But- Why wouldn't you have told me that when I came out?”

Annie sighed, her demeanor softening, “I don’t know, I just- I guess I didn’t want to overshadow your moment or something.” She started to fidget with her sleeves nervously. 

“What- how would that overshadow my moment? I’ve been out for over a week, you could’ve told me at any moment.” Troy’s frustration was morphing from angry to upset. 

“I don’t know! There just wasn’t a moment that I felt was right, I’m sorry-“

“No, don’t. I just…” A sigh. “I shouldn’t be mad at you for not coming out to me, I just thought…” He wasn’t sure how to finish his sentence. 

Finally, Abed interjected. “Troy, why would you think that me and Annie were dating?”

Confusion started to settle in. “I saw that video on your old computer, of Annie acting all lovey towards you and saying happy birthday…” 

Annie let out a quiet “Oh”, realisation hitting her. 

Abed averted Troy’s eyes, fingers worrying at a thread on his pyjama pants. “Troy… That wasn’t what you think it was. It was just for a project.”

“Oh… Okay.” Troy sensed the nervous energy in the room and wondered what the real story was behind it, his previous anger turning to embarrassment as he realised he’d been wrong about his best friends all along. 

“Yeah.” Abed started repeatedly running his fingers through his hair, it wasn’t a motion Troy had ever seen him do before, it must’ve developed over time due to stress. 

“Guys, I’m… I’m so sorry. I don’t know why I assumed- I should’ve just asked you.”

Annie sighed, “Troy, it’s okay. But why would we ever hide something like that from you? We’re your best friends.”

Now it was Troy’s turn to shift nervously, “I, uh, I-“ he sighed, realising he’ll have to admit it eventually. “I thought you guys didn’t tell me because I was… Getting in the way. For being so close to Abed and constantly being with the both of you all this time.”

“Oh, Troy…” Annie reached over to pat Troy on the knee. “I’m so sorry you felt that way. You never get in the way, we’re a team.”

Troy smiled half-heartedly at her, embarrassed that he had to share his anxieties and that they’d been wrong the entire time. Annie gave a reassuring smile back, squeezing his knee. 

Abed’s brows furrowed, “That makes no sense. If I thought you were getting in the way or overstepping I would’ve said something. Friends don’t lie. You know that.” 

“I know.” Troy sighed. “I guess I just… I was just so worried that me leaving was gonna make us grow further apart and that you guys didn’t, I don’t know, trust me as much anymore?” 

“Troy…” Annie’s voice dripped with so much sympathy that it almost made Troy tear up. 

Abed spoke up again, “Troy, you need to tell us how you feel or we won’t be able to fix it. Of course we trust you. We love you.”

Well, now he was really tearing up. “Thank you, guys, I don’t know why I’m so paranoid. I should’ve just come to you in the first place.” 

“It’s okay, you know now and you’ll never have to worry about it again.” Annie squeezed his knee one last time before removing her hand entirely, “Do you want to continue the movie? It’s okay if you don’t.”

Annie and Abed looked at him expectantly but warmly, in a way that made Troy smile. “Yeah, let’s keep watching.”

Halfway through the movie he found himself curled up on the couch again, snuggled between his two best friends. 

—

Things were going much smoothly after their talk, but now that the weight of what he thought was his best friends lying to him was gone, he couldn’t ignore the bigger weight that had been dragging him down since he returned. He still loved Abed, and now Abed was available to him - and into guys, Troy wouldn’t let himself forget. But despite himself, Troy couldn’t muster up the courage to confess. There were too many variables, too many opportunities to screw up his life that he’d only just gotten comfortable with again. Forget the openness, the thought of messing with their finally repaired dynamic terrified him to no end. 

They found themselves Annie-less again on a weekend two weeks after their big talk - Troy had found out that the “work friend” that Annie kept visiting was actually a cover for her going on dates. Troy took the opportunity to try and clarify some things in his mind once him and Abed were alone. 

“Abed?”

Abed hummed in response, not looking up from his laptop as they sat side by side on the couch. 

“Why did you break up with Rachel?”

Abed’s fingers stilled, hovering above the keyboard. He weighed the situation in his mind for a second before closing his laptop and placing it on the coffee table, clearly realising that they had a long conversation ahead of them. 

“I told you. We weren’t each other’s endgame.”

“I know, but… Well, I thought you realised Annie was your endgame and that’s what made you want to break up. But now I know that it’s not her, so who is it?”

Abed started running his fingers through his hair nervously, “Who said I found them? Did I say that?” Before Troy could respond, Abed was deflecting, “Why did you think you were getting in the way of me and Annie?”

The change in topic wasn’t lost on Troy, but he answered Abed’s question nonetheless, “I don’t know, I was always worried that I spent too much time with you, that I was always stealing you away from other people. I think that me wanting to be with you all the time is what made me and Britta break up in the end.”

“And you being gay.” Abed punctuated with a point of his finger. 

“Well, yes. But you know what I mean. I thought I would be doing the same to you and Annie that I did to me and Britta.”

“But, Troy, while you were dating Britta there was nothing stopping me and Annie from dating. You didn’t spend all your time with me, me and Annie had plenty of time alone.”

“Huh…” Troy guessed he must’ve exaggerated some things in his mind to fit his paranoia, “But maybe you were worried about living as a couple with me there? I don’t know.”

“We practically lived with you and Britta for most of that year, why would we have a problem with you?”

It was Troy’s turn to deflect and get the attention off of himself, “Why was the lost lover footage of Annie cut off so abruptly?”

Abed’s brows furrowed at the sudden change in topic, and his hand was in his hair again, “Because the rest of the clip was Britta chastising us for how… unhealthy it was to be doing what we were doing. And I didn’t want to remember it because it made me feel worse, because I…” Abed sighed, unsure how to continue. 

“What did you do?”

“It made me feel worse because I was spending so much of my time rewatching clips of us, of our adventures, of you… Because I missed you” Abed kept his eyes traced on his laptop, not wanting to look Troy in the eye. 

“Abed…” Troy’s heart ached, knowing that his departure had Abed replaying their old stunts for the familiarity, to feel like he was still there with him. That Abed felt like it was an unhealthy coping mechanism because of what was probably an entirely offhand Britta comment. Troy reached out one of his hands to touch Abed’s shoulder and Abed stiffened at the contact. 

Abed turned to Troy, then. “Don’t. Please.” 

Troy retracted his hand and nodded, understanding that this wasn’t a moment where Abed felt touch was welcome. “I’m sorry you felt that way, I don’t think it was unhealthy to watch videos of me, or to miss me. You have no idea how many times I wished I had more videos of us on my phone. All I had to rely on was my memory, and you know that it’s not the best.” 

“It’s not your fault.” Abed smiled in a way that told Troy  _ I’m okay,  _ “Maybe I shouldn’t have listened to Britta.”

Troy chuckled lightly, sensing some of the tension ease away. “But you never answered my question.”

“What question?”

“Who’s your endgame?”

Abed squeezed his eyes shut and puffed out a long breath of air before looking pointedly back at Troy, “Troy, please…”

Troy couldn’t for the life of him think of who it could be to make Abed this hesitant and nervous, he was almost scared to ever hear the answer. “Abed, why won’t you tell me?”

“Because, I…” Abed sighed, “I don’t want to lose you again.”

“You won’t, there’s nothing you could ever say to me to make me leave again. You’re stuck with me.” Abed flashed a small smile at Troy but showed no intention to continue, so Troy had to continue the conversation himself. He gasped, “It’s not Annie, is it? Don’t tell me you were pretending not to like her because she was there with us.”

“Annie is a lesbian.”

“Oh, yeah. Well, you could still like her! She’d just never reciprocate.” Troy rambled, covering himself. 

“It’s not Annie.” Troy opened his mouth to guess again, but Abed cut him off before he could speak. “Stop guessing.”

Troy sighed frustratedly, “Why are you hiding this from me? You’re telling me that we’re back to normal, that I have nothing to worry about with you, that I need to be honest with you. But now you’re hiding this from me and I’m just supposed to accept it? How can I believe that we’re back to normal if you can’t tell me something as crucial as this?” Troy’s voice raised higher in octave at every sentence, pain evident in his voice. Before he could keep going, Abed quietly spoke. 

“It’s you.” 

Suddenly, all the feelings of pain and frustration melted away, “What?”

“It’s you. You’re my endgame, there’s no one else for me after you. But, I’m probably not yours. I didn’t want to say anything and risk losing you.” Abed was looking straight into Troy’s eyes, everything laid out in front of them now. 

“Abed, I…” Troy’s chest felt like it could implode at any given moment. He needed a second to go over Abed’s words in his head,  _ you’re my endgame,  _ everything he wished would be true was coming true. Abed’s eyes were still boring into his. “You’re my endgame, too.”

Abed’s eyes widened, his brows rocketing upwards, “I am?”

Troy left out a breathy chuckle, surprised that he was laying his feelings out to Abed, something he thought he’d never get to do. “You are. Abed, I love you. I’ve been in love with you for, like, six years.” His voice raised in octave again, but this time from excitement. 

Abed brows furrowed, “But why wouldn't you tell me?”

“Well, why didn’t  _ you  _ tell  _ me? _ ”

“Touché” Abed motioned a finger gun at Troy and everything felt right. 

“Well, what now?” Troy knew he had to ask, he couldn’t savour in the moment forever, they needed to figure everything out, like adults. 

Abed smiled nervously, but the light reached his eyes. “Do you want to be my boyfriend?”

Troy finally understood the saying “music to my ears” because he was going to play Abed’s words in his head like a song every minute for the rest of his life. He could barely keep the grin off his face, his cheeks aching in a way that they hadn’t for the entire time he was away. 

“Absolutely.”

Troy lunged forward to capture Abed in a hug but stopped before colliding, remembering Abed’s request for no contact from before. “Can I hug you?”

Abed smiled bigger, more genuine, “Absolutely.”

They spent the rest of their day excitedly discussing their new relationship and their feelings. Troy found out that Abed had realised he loved him when Troy was dating Britta. It was something about not having Troy all to himself anymore that made him realise that his feelings for his best friend were actually more intense than that of best friendship. Troy admitted that he realised his feelings early on in their friendship, but he wouldn’t let himself feel it. He couldn’t be more relieved to finally be able to feel his feelings freely and openly. He didn’t have to hide anymore. 

They already did most relationshippy things: holding hands, being generally physically affectionate, sleeping in the same bed, even the little things like making each other coffee in the mornings to surprise the other. Troy would’ve remarked about how oblivious they had been the entire time if he weren’t too busy being excited with what the next chapter held for them. Every touch meant something more now, every look held everything that they had kept hidden, they could finally say the things they always wanted to. Also, now they could kiss. Which was very fun. There was a whole new level of intimacy to explore. 

Annie came back in the evening and the both of them were practically bursting at the seams, not wasting a second to tell her about the new development in their relationship. She couldn’t have been happier for them, hugging them as tightly as possibly with an “Aw, you guys!”

She decided that they had to celebrate and ordered pizza for the three of them. She told them to choose a couple of movies to marathon and when she made to leave after the first movie finished, aiming to let the newfound boyfriends have a bit of alone time, they pulled her back onto the couch with them and told her to stay. 

There were days on the boat where Troy wondered if it were possible to forget what happiness was. What it felt like, what it meant, why it happened. Those days he watched the two videos of him and Abed he had stored on his phone and felt empty, like he couldn’t conjure anything positive or negative from them within him. Those days he’d wonder if that was his new normal, his new way of living. Without happiness, without sadness, just a vessel put there to guide a boat to its end, and nothing more. 

But now, on the couch with his two favourite people in the world, with his best friend, with the love of his life, with their whole lives ahead of them, Troy had never felt more whole. Happiness was his initial reaction to life now. It was his reaction to waking up to Abed in the mornings, to being able to do anything he wanted when his best friends worked, to seeing them come home and knowing that their nights would be filled with laughter and love. Happiness was his new normal, he knew it. Nothing could ever ruin that for him again. 

He was loved, he was happy, he was whole. He was home. 

**Author's Note:**

> I never wanted to ever write a post s6 fic for trobed but this concept just stuck with me, tell me what you think!!


End file.
